The present study investigated undergraduate Canadian music education students personal and professional experiences during a three-month residency in China.This case study design represents a "bounded system"(Gay,Mills & Airasian,2012)within a "specific context"(Miles & Huberman,1994).Participants(N=3)were in the process of completing a Bachelor of Education degree in order to certify to teach in the province of Ontario.These Canadian students were a part of a SSHRC funded Canada-China Reciprocal Learning Program and also received financial support from Mitacs.The participants lived in China for three months,where they observed classroom teaching,attended workshops/presentations at Southwest University in Chongqing,and gave presentations to Chinese teachers and students.Preservice teachers were asked a wide range of open-ended questions relating to their early preconceptions of life in China,their coping strategies(e.g.,language,local customs,environmental context)while in this foreign land,what curricular and pedagogical similarities and difference they experienced during their school visits,the nature of their relationships with their Chinese counterpart,and what possible impact this "once-in-a-lifetime" experience might have on their future educational and professional plans.The findings indicated intellectual,social,and personal growth over this three-month period.Students spoke of overcoming the "fear of the unknown" and acquiring a self-awareness of their intellectual and personal growth.However,there was no solid assurance that participants experiences will have a positive effect on their future pedagogical practices.Words = 234